ARS INFUSA

In
the Name of the holy and undivided Trinity and of its Divine Dignities,
here begins a general Art or Science for obtaining a sure knowledge of
GOD and of all created things, infused by the grace of the Holy Spirit.This
Art, or Science, as its title says, comes from GOD himself, and thus, sure
knowledge of GOD, of the created universe and of the creatures in it, is
the subject matter of this Art.

PART 1: THE ALPHABET

This, we say, is the alphabet: B., C., D., E., F., G., H., I., K.;
which merely follows the sequential order of the letters, and not necessarily
any meanings of these letters or figures in themselves. Thus, for the purpose
of teaching this Art, we have arbitrarily chosen B. as the first letter
to stand for the first term of Figure One, and the first term of Figure
Two, and the first Question of this Art. Likewise, C., as the second letter
signifies or stands for the second principle of Figure One, and the second
principle of Figure Two, and the second question or Rule of this Art. And
so on with the others in sequential order, so that the first letter, namely
B.,

And the said letters merely stand for this, and nothing else, in this
present Art. And thus there are 18 Principles and 10 Rules that these letters
are made to stand for, in which this entire Science is contained, for in
them the knowledge of GOD and of the universe are naturally implied.

PART 2: THE DEFINITIONS OF THE PRINCIPLES

The Definitions, as found in Ars Brevis, are the following:
1. B. Goodness is that, whereby good does good, & thus it
is good to be, & evil not to be.
2. C. Greatness is that, through which Goodness, Duration, etc.are
great, as they enfold the utmost reaches of all there is.
3. D. Duration is that through which Goodness, Greatness, etc.
are lasting.
4. E. Power is that through which Goodness, Greatness,etc. can
exist and act.
5.F. Wisdom is a property, by which the wise understand .
6.G. Will is that, on account of which Goodness, Greatness,etc.
are desirable.
7.H. Virtue is the origin of the union of Goodness, Greatness,
& the other Principles.
8. I. Truth is that,which is true about Goodness, Greatness,
etc.
9. K. Glory is that delight, in which Goodness, Greatness, etc.
find rest.
1. Difference is that, whereby Goodness, Greatness, & the
other Principles are clear reasons without any confusion.
2. Concordance is that, through which Goodness, etc. concord
in unity & in plurality.
3. Contrariety is a mutual resistance due to divergent ends.
4. Beginning is something that is before all else on account
of some priority.
5. The Middle is a subject, in which the End influences the
Beginning, & the Beginning flows back to the End, as it is naturally
common to both.
6. The End is that in which the beginning rests.
7. Majority is the image of the boundlessness of Goodness, Greatness,
Eternity, and of the other Dignities of GOD.
8. Equality is the subject in which the final Concordance of
Goodness, Greatness, etc. rests.
9. Minority is a Being close to non-being.
We have stated the Definitions of the Principles, which must be known
by heart; for without knowing these Definitions, one cannot learn this
Art.

PART 3: THE RULES

1. The First Question: "Whether or not this is so."The first question asked is "Whether or not?", and this is done in
three parts: namely doubt, affirmation and negation. Through these we seek
out and find the truth for solving any question asking whether something
is so, or not. With the first species, by supposing that both may be possible,
so that from the start, the intellect does not bind itself to belief, as
believing is not its natural act. But rather, it must accept that option,
which leads to a greater and more direct understanding of its own. For
the true option must be the one, that has withstood the inquiry and the
infallible proof brought to bear on any matter through this general rule
or question, which is the following.
Between the affirmative and negative options in answering any question,
the true option to be upheld is the one which does not destroy the principles
and the rules of this art, but which is in the greatest accordance with
them; and this is determined by all three of the potentials of the soul
engaged in the inquiry, namely, through understanding, through willing
and through remembering why the chosen option preserves the definitions
of the principles and the species of the rules in a greater perfection
of goodness, greatness etc., in the affirmative than in the negative, or
vice versa.

2. The Second Question: "What is this?"The second question asks: "What is this?", and it has 4 species,
1.
The first species seeks a definition, and is answered by giving a definition
of the thing inquired about. 2. The second species seeks to know
the constituents, or correlative parts of a thing, and it is answered by
giving the correlatives, or the constitution of this thing.
3. The
third species is passive, or informed, and it is answered by naming the
passive, or the informed aspects of the matter. 4. The fourth species
is active, or informing, and its answer is given by stating the activity,
form, or act of the thing inquired about.
3. The Third Question: "Of what?"The third question is: "Of what?" as it asks: "What is this thing of?"
and it has three species. 1. The first species is primary, and inquires
into the primary origin of the thing, and it is answered by stating the
primary quality of the thing in question. 2. The second species
is derivative, and it is answered by stating the correlative parts of the
thing, namely the parts it is derived from, if it has any. 3. The
third species is possessive, as it asks about ownership, or about what,
or whom the thing belongs to, and it is answered by indicating who or what
it is owned by.
4. The Fourth Question: "Why?"The fourth question is "Why?", and has two species. 1. The first
species is formal, and it is answered by stating the form as well as the
matter of the thing in question. 2. The second species is final,
and is answered by stating the final purpose of this thing.
5.The Fifth Question: "How much?"The fifth question asks: "How much?", and has two species, 1.
The first species is continuous, and is answered by giving the continuous
quantity of the thing in question. 2. The second species is discrete,
and it is answered by stating the discrete quantity of this thing.
6. The Sixth Question: "What quality?"The sixth question asks about the quality of a thing, and it has two
species: 1. The first is proper, and is answered by stating the
proper quality of the thing in question. 2. The second is appropriated,
and is answered by stating the appropriated qualities of this thing.
7. The Seventh Question: "When?"The seventh question asks "When?" , and has 15 species, 4
of which are drawn from the rule:"What?", and 3 from the rule "Of
what?", and 4 from the rule "How?", and 4 from the rule "With
what?", by reducing all these to the question "When?" , and the answers
to these are given through a sequential reduction to the said solutions.
8. The Eighth Question: "Where?"The eighth question asks: "Where?", and has the same 15 species
reduced to "Where?", which are likewise answered through a reduction to
"Where?".
9. The Ninth Question: "How?"The ninth question asks "How?", and it has 4 species, namely:
1.
"How does this part exist as a part?" And the answer to this is: "through
difference". 2. "How does this part fit into other parts?" And the
answer is: "through concordance". 3. "How do the parts exist in
the whole, and the whole in its parts?" And the answer is : "through difference
and concordance". 4. "How does the whole transmit its likeness outside
of itself?" And the answer is: "through the way that it has with its own
correlatives, with which it draws extraneous species from outside of itself,
and which it characterizes and informs with its active correlative in its
passive correlative, thus transmitting its own likeness outside of itself."
10. The Tenth Question: "With what?"The tenth rule or question asks "With what?" And it has 4 species
like the one just preceding, and the answer is likewise given through a
reduction of these to "With what?".